Hi and welcome to the new Early Years webpage.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Unit

Hope School’s foundation stage caters for children aged 2-5 in a fully inclusive unit, educating mainstream children alongside their peers with additional needs.

Children are surrounded by a wonderful nurturing environment which helps promote personal, social and emotional understanding and develops early communication and language. We pride ourselves on providing a purposeful early education and promoting healthy practices

We have brilliant learning facilities, both indoor and outdoor, promoting learning and enthusiasm to discover new things from the start. Our outdoor area provides a safe and fascinating area for children to explore and develop their own interests.

We have a dedicated team of nurturing teaching staff who are committed to providing all children with the very best start to their education. They encourage the children to develop their own pathways of learning and this through a very child led curriculum, tailored to individual needs.

We endeavour to support children’s progress through a personalised curriculum based around the EYFS designed to meet children’s individual needs.

*Please be aware we have a staggered intake at the beginning of the year over 2 days. Please check your child’s start date when they receive their information pack and not the school holiday list.

2 Year olds

We have a vibrant and nurturing two year old room providing young learners with a vast amount of experiences focused around the prime areas of learning. There are 8 dedicated spaces to our early learners. The places are available for both 15 funded hours (morning and afternoon sessions) and privately paid places (full days 8-4). To arrange a visit or enquire about places please contact the school.

Early years

Our early years classroom provides an exciting and stimulating environment aimed to assist children’s learning and support progress whatever the child’s starting point. We want children to have the best possible start in life and to acquire skills, knowledge and understanding helping them make sense of the world.

We provide opportunities to develop friendships. We offer communication friendly spaces to support children’s language and listening skills, promote the use of Signalong and PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) books for children to communicate in a variety of ways and model language. We incorporate letters and sounds in our classroom through enhanced activities which are planned for weekly. Curriculum planning is a balance of adult led and child led learning drawing on the EYFS to ensure both core and specific skills are promoted through the environment. We believe the early years is a time to discover a love of learning. Our environment is structured to enable all children to learn in the way they learn best.

We pride ourselves on being fully inclusive and support children from the local community alongside children who may require a more specialised education in all areas of the curriculum.

Children in their Nursery and Reception year requiring specialised education places access these places through applications to the local authority. For more information please see the ‘Admissions’ page.

For children wanting to access 15 or 30 free hours or additional hours care (8am -6pm) on a mainstream placement for their nursery year, please contact the school to arrange a visit.

Rising three year olds

Within our early years unit we also provide early educational places for 3 year olds. Dependent on availability (and eligibility if your child has attended the 2 year old provision) children can access a place in January and April. There are a variety of sessions available from Monday to Friday 8-6pm.

Caterpillar before and after school club

Hope school also offers wrap around care for children aged 3-11 during term time. If you are interested in this service please contact school and ask for Sharron Yates.

Crazy caterpillar Holiday club

The holiday club in a fully inclusive provision for children aged 3-11 from the local community and students at the school during the holiday periods. The holiday club provides fun and exciting activities for your children to engage in. Activities may include visits from the ‘little critters’ company- the bug man, active living team- providing football sessions or participating in arts, crafts and music. To ask about holiday club and what it offers please contact Sharron Yates using the school telephone number.

We are very excited to welcome all our new children this year! We will be exploring ‘getting to know me’ and ‘Autumn’. We will be enjoying Halloween activities, looking at nursery rhymes which will lead into Christmas fun!

We are so busy in our classrooms and are very keen to learn all about numbers, making big marks,experiencing early writing and enjoying being creative in the messy area! We love to get moving and grooving and thrive when we are outdoors!!! Have a look at some of our pictures!